Obituary of Alfred Proctor Smith, III

Alfred Proctor Smith, III, passed away at his home in Morris Township, NJ, on Saturday, June 24, 2023 at the age of 89.

Al was preceded in death by his wife of 63 years, Amanda (Schmitt) Smith. He is survived by his daughter, Lisa A. Smith of Morris Township; his son, Michael Smith and wife Nina Lalevic of Santa Fe, NM; grandchildren Nicholas C. Smith of Albuquerque, NM and Lucas P. Smith of Houston, TX; and sisters Ethel Kennedy (Paradise, CA), Susan Herbert (Huntersville, NC) and Jean Hendrix (Kennett Square, PA).

A native of New Jersey, Al was born September 13, 1933 to the late Alfred Proctor Smith, Jr. and Ethel L. Berlenbach. Raised in Madison, Al studied economics at Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude in 1954. After completing Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, OK, Al served as an officer with the U.S. Army 599th Armored Field Artillery Battalion in Erlangen, Germany from 1954-57, attaining the rank of Captain.

While serving in Germany, Al met and married Amanda, a native of Nuremberg. After his discharge from the Army, Al worked for General Electric in Schenectady, NY while simultaneously working toward a masters in economics at RPI and completing GE’s challenging Business Training Program. He returned to New Jersey after joining Merck in 1960. Attending night school at NYU, Al then earned an M.B.A. in economics in 1963. During his 30 years at Merck, Al held a variety of positions. He was posted to Brussels, Belgium from 1965-1968 as Director of Finance-Europe. On their return to New Jersey, Al and Amanda resided first in Convent Station and later in the Washington Valley section of Morris Township. Al subsequently served as Director of Finance for Merck, Sharp & Dohme-International and as Corporate Controller, Assistant Treasurer, Vice President and Treasurer, and VP of Finance/Principal Financial Officer for Merck & Co.

Al was a member of the Financial Executives Institute, a director of casualty insurer Ace Limited, a member of the finance committee for the NJ Science & Technology Center and served as a trustee of Cheshire Home, a Florham Park non-profit provider of short-term rehabilitation for young adults with spinal cord injuries and neurological impairments.

After retiring in 1990, Al and Amanda split their time between Morris Township and Naples, FL, while also enjoying ski trips and travels throughout Europe, Asia and South America. Al was a loyal supporter of Princeton University and devoted substantial time to alumni fundraising serving for a number of years as the Annual Giving section chair for Northern NJ. Al spent his later years in Morris Township, gardening and playing golf at Morris County Golf Club where he was a longtime member.